Social Impact Games, a Probable Future Illuminated by Looking Back

Abstract

Social Impact Games are created to address varied societal challenges. Future innovations in social impact game design are likely to come through the researchers and practitioners that not only make such games, but shape the way we design, develop, employ, and apply social impact games. This opinion piece emphasizes the idea that reactive research chases the future, but innovative research shapes it. It outlines threats to the practice, including antisocial impact games (contrasted with prosocial design), technological durability, and shifts in ludo literacy. It concludes with opportunities, based on historical contexts, to develop ethical standards for social impact game design, increase inclusivity and improved efficacy. From this perspective, the past indicates a future where the work of social impact matures out of research experiment toward everyday experiences among the milieux of interactive media.